Thursday, March 24, 2016

Toto, we ain't in Kansas any more!

Kansas is considering 'allowing' students, staff and faculty to exercise their constitutional rights on campus.  And the Administration of the Kansas University System are squirming.

Next summer, in addition to textbooks, laptops and double-strength coffee, Kansas college students will be able to bring something else to class: guns.
Actually, it's not the fear of 'campus violence' which generates this whitey-tighty moment:
Mike Williams, president of the University of Kansas Faculty Senate, says his colleagues are less worried about the possibility of an active shooter and more about accidents and simple disagreements escalating between armed students. 
They're not REALLY citing concerns of an inter-student conflict eruption on the campus:

It's not that a Lover's Quarrel on the Quad might erupt into a firefight, or worry that the campus drug-dealers may start "packing" to defend their 'turf, or even the possibility that there might be an "Accidental Discharge" in the school cafeteria which concerns the university leadership.

No, it's the fear of faculty members that their locked-and-loaded students might take exception to a low grade or a snide comment from their professor during a class-room discussion which soils their BVDs.

A THOUGHTFUL DEBATE:
Oh, to be sure the article addresses the mythical aphorism that "... fear of violence could discourage civil discourse, with students afraid to speak their minds "because of their worry that someone might react with armed violence instead of thoughtful debate." x

That's right.  The faculty has expressed little or no worries about a Gunfight at the OK Corral; they just don't want to get SHOT because they gave a student a lower grade than expected, or because the students feel as if they are being disrespected by the Professorial Ubermenchen.
(As if THAT ever happens in a University Environment!)

Can't blame them for feeling that way, except that:
 (a) folks who want to shoot them will do so whether or not they have a CHL, and
 (b) if "folks who want to shoot them" are in their class, the faculty and staff will be safer with a CHL licensed person in their class, and
 (c) they always have the option to get their own CHL.  But then ... who knows if they are qualified?
 (We do.)  
 (d) and after all, aren't gun-carriers dangerous people?  Why would they want to carry a gun on campus if they didn't want to shoot people?
(Statics show that CHL people are less likely to  commit violent crimes than 'others': see this Texas report of CHL crime statistics.)

Most University websites include the phrase "... our priority is to provide a quality learning environment for our students ..." (or words to that effect).

But really, it's all about the faculty.  And tenure.

Still, fear exists, even if the fearful have "options":



A poll of more than 20,000 employees across all Kansas Board of Regents schools found overwhelming disapproval of the new law. Eighty-two percent said they would feel less safe if students were allowed to carry guns to class.
The survey also found:
  • Overall, 70 percent of respondents said allowing guns on campus would negatively impact their course and how they teach; 20 percent disagreed.
  • Two-thirds said allowing guns would limit their freedom to teach the material and engage with students in a way that optimizes learning, while 24 percent disagreed.
  • Nearly half said allowing concealed weapons would increase crime on campus. Just 16 percent thought it would do the opposite.




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We can only pray for the students and faculty of Kansas.